The Shormlit Chronicles: Allies in Blood and Sand
by jashykins
Summary: Eoptis and her family finally arrive at the Skrit Na home world to negotiate an alliance. While negotiations are going on, Eoptis finds better allies on the Skrit Na home world than she thought possible. However, getting them to leave the planet might be easier said than done.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**: _This is a sequel to The Shormlit Chronicles: A Trial. If you have not read that please do so you understand this fic. Like that fic, these chapters will be made up of parts that I originally post to my tumblr lookistoleabladeship._

_This chapter combines "A New Kind/Arrival", "A New Kind/Waiting for the Greeting", and "A New Kind/Welcomed"._

* * *

I breathed in the air of the Shormlit and breathed out.

A little before the Shormlit and Skrit Na fleet entered Z-space, I was allowed back onto my Blade ship. It had seemed like I would never again get the chance to be on it.

I turned a stalk eye as I recognized the sound of familiar hooves.

_You've been on the bridge awhile._ Faniffoy said.

_Well, I've been aboard the Torf for such a long time that I need to make sure everything was functioning correctly._ I said as I continued to go through data.

_You don't trust that I kept the ship safe?_

_I trust you, I've just learned to double check everything and not to assume anything._

Faniffoy watched me as I continued to review the Shormlit. I felt a twinge of guilt about not fully trusting my wife. But I would rather feel guilty than let something pass by.

As I finished up my check, a small alarm went off to indicate we were about to exit Z-space.

_Family,_ I said through the 'speaker' system. _We are about to exit Z-space and arrive at the Skrit Na home world. You are to come to the bridge as soon as possible._

With that I tensed slightly as upon exiting Z-space, the Skrit Na home world took up most of the view.

There were many ships coming and going from the planet. The Skrit Na were traders so of course that would be the case. But some of the ships moved as though the Skrit Na were being given driving lessons.

_Do you trust them?_ Faniffoy asked as we went towards the planet with the rest of the fleet.

_They should be easy to kill and flee if they betray us._ I replied.

* * *

I had landed on many different worlds for the military, but no mission had ever been so important as this one.

Before the missions had involved the freedom of the galaxy, true, but this mission was more personal.

The Shormlit had made its landing an hour before and we were waiting for the Skrit Na to fully prepare for us.

_Why do they have to take so long?_ Quio asked.

_Would you feel safe with possible enemies entering your home world?_ Inior asked. _The thought of the Yeerks coming to our home world is frightening._

_The Yeerks could never enter our planet._ Quio replied confidently.

I worried about her confidence as that could easily get her killed. It was one thing to be confident enough to fight, it was another thing to think that nothing could harm you.

On the bridge Quio, Inior, and the rest of my family were with me. Chee just looked at the screens observing what could be seen of the Skrit Na.

_When you're fighting a war you have to keep an open mind._ I told Quio. _It's never wise to underestimate your enemies._

_What about overestimating them?_ Quio countered.

_Your father knows what he's talking about._ Faniffoy, my wife, told her.

_Father? She's a human woman masquerading as an Andalite._

_Are you saying we should hand him over to the other Andalites?_ Enichonsho asked worriedly.

_No._ Quio said and seemed angry at that assumption.

"Then what would you do with him if given the chance?" Chee asked her. "He is saving you. Do you think the others of your species would act kindly to the daughter of a person like Eoptis?"

I knew the Pemalites to be pacifists, but that didn't seem to blind them to the truth of the universe. They wouldn't fight, but they weren't oblivious to how other societies could act.

_As long as Quio won't turn me in I don't think we have anything to worry about._ I said and didn't add the fact that she had to be well behaved for the meeting with the Skrit Na.

One of the screens glowed and then a hologram of a Skrit Na was on the bridge with us.

"Prince Eoptis, we are ready for you." The Skrit Na said.

_We will meet you._ I said and moved my stalk eyes so that they would look over my family.

A minute later and we were all walking through the Shormlit to the Skrit Na home world, with me in the lead.

* * *

The Skrit Na were mysterious since not many races, especially Andalites, cared to learn about them. So I didn't know what to expect when I exited the Shormlit.

A Skrit Na that was wearing a red fur coat of some alien creature, as I highly doubted it was from Earth, and seemed to hold a position of power was in front of a group of other Skrit Na. It spread its arms out wide and said, "Greetings, Prince Eoptis."

I looked at the Skrit Na, technically a Na which was the second stage of the Skrit Na, and was reminded of cheesey b-movie films from Earth. I think the term was "Grey Aliens" and they were the most iconic aliens. At least when i had left Earth. With what happened in New York that might've changed since I left.

_And me and my family are honored to be here._ I replied merely to be polite.

I highly doubted that the Skrit Na was happy about me coming here. They were probably more nervous than me. They knew that just with my Blade ship I could kill enough of them to escape without even getting a scratch.

"I am Reilig-luy-Ecneics." The Skrit Na said. "My area of study is Andalite Culture."

_So you study?_ Inior asked confused.

Reilig's reaction was to laugh.

"Those of us who are older and stay on our home world do tend to find areas of study to amuse ourselves with." Reilig replied. "You must be tired from your journey. Pemalite, what do you eat? I'm sad to say no one studies Pemalites much anymore. I couldn't find anyone on such short notice."

"I don't eat meat for the most part. Unless the creature was slaughtered in a peaceful manner." Chee replied.

"We can manage." The Skrit Na replied.

_I hope we can negotiate over dinner._ I told Reilig.

"We were going to ask you if you didn't mind as you might be too tired."

_When will dinner be?_

"In five hours. In the meantime we will show you to your rooms and there will be some Na to escort you around town." Reilig said and bowed.

I looked at my family who were all nervous. Except for Chee whose expression I took for boredom.

_We will appreciate it._ I said. Then Reilig and his group led the way.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note**: _Well here is an update after a long time. The short story is that I've been working on more projects than I was before._

_This chapter combins "Moving In/New Rooms", "Moving In/The Gardens", "Moving In/Learning About the Games", and "Moving In/The Tickets"._

* * *

I had expected the rooms the Skrit Na gave us to be unorganized, but I was wrong.

All of my eyes went around the room looking at the very Andalite make of the room. The floor was grass and was actually good. Not the greatest, but much better than I had ever expected from the Skrit Na.

There weren't any chairs except for one that looked perfect for Chee. There were also windows that looked out onto the cityscape of the Skrit Na city. All the buildings seemed to be of architecture from different worlds. One had a large dome on the top that had a garden.

"That's one of our many Andalite Dome Gardens." Reilig stated. "We also have some animals from your home world at one of the nearby zoos if you want to take a look. Maybe feel a little bit more at home."

_How did you get them?_ Quio asked. _How did you get animals from my home world?_

I could understand my daughter's anger, but I didn't think approaching the Skrit Na like she did was good for diplomacy.

"Andalites haven't always been like they are today." Reilig replied, with only a hint of irritation in his voice. "During the time your species was still evolving to the point they got space travel, we took some of your animal and plant life. We have managed to keep generations of them alive through hard work and good luck."

Quio's response was to tense her tail and then quickly loosen it up. Her stalk eyes went around everyone in the room to see if they had noticed. I had and, by my wife's reaction, Faniffoy had also. But no one acted like they had seen her mistake.

"If you would like to go to an Andalite Dome Garden or a zoo I would be more than happy to arrange it." Reilig stated.

_One of the Andalite Dome Gardens would give us a chance to relax._ Faniffoy said.

I knew why Faniffoy didn't want to go to a zoo. The Skrit Na would sometimes kidnap beings from primitive planets and put them in zoos. Faniffoy didn't want to take the chance she would see an intelligent creature locked up.

Reilig nodded and two of the Skrit Na stayed with us. We then spent around an hour settling in and deciding who would sleep where.

* * *

My three children were playing in the Andalite Dome Gardens as my wife and I took a quiet stroll.

_Just accept this calm._ Faniffoy told me. _You can worry about the hard stuff later._

_I don't know what you're talking about._ I said as I tasted the grass.

It tasted, at least taste as an Andalite knew the sense, like some of the best grass that was on the Andalite home world. On one hand I was excited that the Skrit Na had taken such care. But, on the other hand, I felt mad that they couldn't taste it like an Andalite could. They couldn't really know how good of a job they had done.

_A wife just knows._ She replied. _You appear nervous. You look like you're off in another dimension at times. And you've been staring at that bush for way too long._

I had been looking at a particular bush with my main and stalk eyes for awhile now. I didn't know what it was but it was green and looked angry. The face wasn't human but it reminded me of him. I shook my head and then it looked like any other bush. That had been the fifth head shake I had done in the last ten minutes alone.

_It's like he never leaves me._ I said and didn't know if I sounded scared or sad.

Faniffoy put a hand on my arm and said, _It isn't bad that you don't forget him. You haven't abandoned me. I know you won't. And if he gives you strength when you need it, accept that strength._

I turned to have my main eyes look at her. How hard was it for her to say that? To say that it was okay that I never forget Bruce Banner or my feelings for him? Did she ever think I ranked him over her? That if I ever had the chance to be with him again that I would leave her behind?

Did I even want to think about having that option?

_Thank you,_ I told her. _I'll try to enjoy myself more._

With that I tried to enjoy myself. Every now and again a Skrit Na would talk about "sand games". I would need to ask about those later to see what they were.

I waited until we were about to leave to ask the Skrit Na the question.

With my stalk eyes I watched as my wife tried to take control of our children. They had been cooped up in a Blade ship and had been through an ordeal so now they had let out energy. Energy that needed to get under control before we left the gardens.

"Andalite!" A Skrit Na shouted in joy. "Seeing one that's not on a hologram. Wow."

_Yeah, I'm real._ I told the excited Skrit Na.

"Can I touch you?" She asked. "I mean…we don't usually run into other species that we don't put into zoos. I'm sorry if I offended you but I've always wondered what your species felt like."

_You may._ I said and she immediately started to touch me while avoiding any sensitive areas. _I heard some Skrit Na talking about sand games. What are they?_

"Oh," She said and stopped. "They are entertainment so some of the more violent of our kind can take out their aggressions where they are the least harmful."

_There are aggressive Skrit Na?_ I asked, the idea sounding a little more than foreign to me.

"Yes, we like to keep them to themselves. We don't want a war started because of them."

_Can I see one of these sand games?_ I asked the Skrit Na.

"In two days the next one will be held between the four champions." She said. "I'm sure your hosts will be able to give you more information."

_Thank you._ I said to her and walked back to my wife.

Aggressive Skrit Na? Were they warriors that I could use to keep me and my family safe?

* * *

"Why would you want to go to one of the sand games?" Reilig asked.

My family was getting prepared for dinner and I was discussing going to one of the sand games with the Skrit Na that was in charge of our stay. Reilig was now nervous like I had heard Skrit Na were.

_I would like to see if they could join my crew._ I explained to him. _We need all the help we can get._

"You haven't even been to dinner to discuss an alliance and yet now you want to ask to have some of the most dangerous members of our species?" He asked and shook his head. "It's out of the question if you want to go to the games for that reason. We have members of our species participate in the sand games so they don't go off world and get us caught in the middle of a conflict."

_What if I could offer you something?_

"What could you possibly offer us? Being kept out of conflict is the only thing we care about. We care about it more than random items and knowledge."

_What could I offer you?_ I asked.

Reilig sat back in his chair and ran his feet through the grass on the floor. I didn't know what the Skrit Na would want and I was worried. Last time I had helped the species get anything it had been hectic to say the least.

"How about you view the fighters first and then we can discuss an offer." Reilig replied.

I wanted to argue more but knew that would be useless.

_Agreed._ I said and then we shook hands.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note**: _Long story short, I was working on a lot of one-shots so getting this part out took awhile longer than I wanted._

_This chapter combines: "The Dinner/A Small Reprieve", "The Dinner/It Begins", "The Dinner/Trying to Convince Them", and "The Dinner/The Decision"._

* * *

Skrit Na don't have a good reputation throughout the galaxy, but that's probably because no one has asked one to throw them a dinner.

The smells from what the Skrit Na would be eating went through my nostrils and I thought for a moment of morphing Chee or another morph I had that had a mouth.

But doing that would probably upset the Skrit Na as they had prepared some grass for me and my family to eat. Good quality grass too. My three children were enjoying it. They were enjoying it as they ran and laughed.

_Do you think they'll leave enough for you and me?_ I asked Faniffoy and she laughed.

_Missing a meal or two wouldn't hurt you._ She replied with a grin only an Andalite is capable of making.

Being here made me almost forget what the upcoming dinner would be about. I would have to argue our case for an alliance and later I would have to try and make sure some of the supposed Warrior Skrit Na would come with us.

_Well, I'll just have to disappoint you._ I told my wife as I quickly trotted over to the grass.

I turned a stalk eye back to see Faniffoy shaking her head.

After a moment she came running behind me. Neither of us could go too fast since we were both in a closed space. But we both went as fast as we could over to the grass while laughing.

Quio turned her stalk-eyes and then her main eyes to face me. For a rare moment I saw her as a scared girl. A girl that wanted to rise to the rank of her father. A girl who was now removed from her home world with no return in sight.

Outwardly I still appeared joyful, but inside I was starting to worry again. I worried about these negotiations and what would happen if the Skrit Na said no.

Finally, after waiting awhile, the negotiations were beginning.

Reilig looked at me and then clapped his hands. This made the other Skrit Na pay attention to us. They knew that the negotiations would start and whatever was decided would be historic.

"Here is Prince Eoptis-Sscro-Jevirkcor. A former member of the Andalite military." Reilig began. "An Andalite who helped us get some precious artifacts from the extinct race called Pemalites. Extinct except for Chee who is the last living member of his species."

Chee gave a slight nod to indicate that he had heard the Skrit Na.

"They have braved many a danger to seek our aid. Not many do as many believe us cowards for no reason. They believe that we, among all the other species in this galaxy, are the most cowardly. Many Andalites don't take into account how ancient our species is. That we have existed before them and we will live long after they have ceased to exist. Our way of neutrality has served us well." Reilig said and was met with cheers.

For a few minutes he allowed the cheering to continue before he cut it off.

"Now we must make a decision, a decision that may affect all of our species. A decision that may make us unable to be neutral anymore. A decision to help provide aid to Prince Eoptis." Reilig ended and then there was silence.

This was it. This was what I had spent so much time preparing for.

_I am Prince Eoptis-Sscro-Jevirkcor._ I began, with an encouraging look from my wife. _I have fought many battles for my species. I have risked much and made decisions I would have rather never made. Though I risked and did so much for my species, they still came after me and my family._

I paused so that the Skrit Na could briefly talk amongst themselves.

_I am not asking you to fight my battles for me, I respect your views on neutrality too much._ I continued. _What I am asking for is supplies and places to stay. In return I will help you get precious cargo that is hard for you to get. I will protect you when what you thought was abandoned was actually occupied._

I saw the Skrit Na talk to each other again. This time in more excited voices. I wouldn't bring up the fact that I wanted to take some of the more violent members of their species as crew members to my ship. That could come later.

Finally they were quiet and I could tell that they were about to make a decision. Would all my hard work be for naught or would I have started forming an alliance?

The wait was maddening as I awaited their decision.

If they didn't agree to the alliance I would've come all this way for nothing. Never mind that supporting my family would be an even harder thing to do. I turned all of my eyes towards the Skrit Na so as to not appear nervous.

Though only Reilig would recognize an Andalite's nervousness. Well, most likely that would be the case.

"We have made our decision," Reilig said. "We don't make this decision lightly and trust you to know what it means for us to make it."

One of my stalk-eyes turned to look at my family who also appeared eager to hear the Skrit Na's decision.

"We have agreed to your offer of an alliance." Reilig continued. "You could give us much needed aid on certain ventures. But the moment it appears you have involved us in a war, the alliance is off."

_Yes, Reilig._ I replied gratefully. _I agree to keep my word._


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** _Saw Age of Ultron and was pleased. Poor Bruce Banner! Especially at the end of the film, but talking about that would be too long for an author's note._

_This chapter combines: "A Sleepless Night/Trying to Sleep", "A Sleepless Night/The Buildings", "A Sleepless Night/The Drinking Game Begins", and "A Sleepless Night/Stumbling to the Wife"._

* * *

We had won our first victory, our first alliance.

It had taken a lot to get to this point and now I fully realized what would have to come afterwards. I tried to focus my attention on Faniffoy's breathing beside me, but thoughts of how hard it would be to get aggressive Skrit Na off planet filled my mind.

My tail-blade flicked back and forth as I just got more worried.

_What is it, Eoptis? _Faniffoy asked, opening a stalk-eye and turning it towards me.

_It's just…we got an alliance and now I'm worried that I'll fail in the next part._ I told her.

_There's nothing we can do about that now._ She told me. _So just go to sleep._

I stood up and looked around the room. It was a decent size, but still too small for an Andalite. My children had slightly smaller rooms. Chee, as he didn't seem to have the same problems as Andalites, had the smallest room.

_I'm going to walk around some. Try to calm down that way. _I told her.

_Come back before sunrise._ Faniffoy said and went back to sleep.

* * *

The air was cool and comforting as I took my stroll.

Getting out and not being around anyone was comforting. Finally I was breathing an actual atmosphere. I can't explain it to someone who doesn't tend to live their life in outer space with an artificial atmosphere. An artificial atmosphere does allow you to breathe, but it just doesn't feel real.

It's hard to explain.

As I walked I took notice of the buildings. They were all jumbles of different species' architectures. There were some that seemed to be a combination of two or three different species while others were clearly based on only one species.

The difference between young and old Skrit Na?

I let those thoughts consume me and help calm my mind.

I found, after around an hour or so, that I also didn't have to worry about being attacked. Most of the Skrit Na that were out seemed to avoid me. Whether out of fear or usual Skrit Na courtesy, I didn't know.

I heard a noise and turned to see a bar.

I could hear music from some planet, I couldn't identify which one, coming from it and I decided to walk over to see what nightlife on the Skrit Na home world was like.

Some Skrit Na turned to look at me as I entered. Some seemed mildly nervous while others appeared like they wanted to run away. A few seemed like they didn't mind my presence at all. I walked over towards a group of the latter Skrit Na.

"What do you wish to drink?" One asked.

_Depends on what is being served. _I replied.

"The Unemite Special." The Skrit Na said and I could swear I saw a grin on his face.

I didn't know what a Unemite was and so I was uncertain what a 'special' drink of the race would be. And what it turned out to be was far from pleasant. It appeared to have the same texture as the Yeerk pool. The smell was beyond horrible but I nodded at the Skrit Na.

The Skrit Na put the bowl on the floor so I could drink it. As I absorbed it through my hoof I was beyond thankful that I couldn't taste it, not like a being with a mouth could.

"How long does it take an Andalite to get drunk?" The Skrit Na asked, sipping his own drink.

_Want to find out?_ I grinned as only an Andalite can as this was an opportunity to connect more with my allies.

He nodded and so a drinking contest was prepared. The winner's prize would be bragging rights.

* * *

I had been an Andalite for so long that I had nearly forgotten what it was like to be human, but tonight I felt uncomfortable in my adopted body.

_Eoptis!_ My wife shouted at me as I stumbled back inside the apartment.

I grinned drunkenly at her. I had spent time with the locals and I had made it back here. Both epic feats in my book. Well, at least they were epic to me at the moment.

Might not feel so epic to me in the morning.

_What happened?_ Faniffoy asked as she went over to me, helping me not fall over.

_I won._ I told her happily and then saw the confusion on her face. _The drinking contest. I won it. I kicked their asses!_

Faniffoy let out a long sigh. Her tail going back and forth in amusement. I laughed and she helped me to our bedroom.

I couldn't remember much more of coming home than that.


End file.
